Chapter 71
Huo Ranchuan and the man holding Bai Nuosi locked eyes in tense silence, the man’s hand trembling slightly.
As he stared at the enormous Teng Snake, its massive wings blotting out the sky, he met its glowing, lantern-sized golden eyes. A chill ran down his spine. Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip, and a thin line of blood appeared on Bai Nuosi’s neck.
Huo Ranchuan’s grip on Teng Snake’s scales tightened, his voice low and cold. “Don’t hurt him.”
He paused for a moment before adding, “I’ll let you go.”
As soon as he spoke, Huo Ranchuan took a deep look at the unconscious Bai Nuosi. Then, releasing his grip, he let himself drop straight down into the dark night. Teng Snake, circling the aircraft, swooped in, and within seconds, Huo Ranchuan landed smoothly on its massive back.
Crouching on Teng Snake’s back, he watched the aircraft fade into the distance. He patted Teng Snake’s head to calm it down and whispered, “This is a residential area in the central district; we can’t act recklessly. Don’t worry, I will get Xiao Bai back.”
But the situation was tricky—Bai Nuosi was still in the enemy’s hands and unconscious. He couldn’t help but wonder which faction had targeted Bai Nuosi. Whoever it was, they’d better hope he didn’t find out; he wouldn’t let them off easily.
Huo Ranchuan remained crouched on Teng Snake’s back, silently watching the aircraft disappear into the night. After a moment, he opened his smart device, revealing two dots, one red and one green, moving in parallel. The red dot marked the tracker he had discreetly placed on the enemy’s aircraft, while the green dot represented Bai Nuosi’s signal.
Focusing on the coordinates, he murmured to the restless Teng Snake, “Don’t worry. We just need to wait until they leave the central district…”
Suddenly, in the distant sky, a swarm of large black birds appeared. They were wild birds, massive in size and resembling geese, but their beaks were sharp and aggressive. Out of nowhere, they swooped down and launched a fierce attack on the aircraft.
The men inside, still tense after their confrontation with Huo Ranchuan, were caught off guard by the sudden bird assault.
“What’s up with these birds? Damn it!” one of them shouted anxiously.
“Is this another trick by Huo Ranchuan?”
“No, it doesn’t seem like it. These birds aren’t spiritual beasts—they shouldn’t be under anyone’s control.”
The man holding Bai Nuosi, the leader of the group, sheathed his knife and glanced at the unconscious Bai Nuosi. His voice was cold. “It’s almost impossible to lure Teacher Bai out of the Rose Garden. This might be our only chance. No matter what, we have to take him off this planet.”
He pulled out a laser cannon and aimed it at the flock of black birds surrounding the aircraft. “Burn them.”
They opened a window in the aircraft, readying the laser cannon. The powerful weapon could incinerate the birds instantly. The aircraft’s material was made from special fireproof and waterproof metal, making it impervious to the flames.
Just as the window opened, one of the large birds dove in, its talons stretched out, aiming directly for the man’s eyes.
Startled, the man punched out in reflex.
At that moment, a sharp bird cry pierced the night, filled with rage and fury. The sound was so intense that it sent chills down the spines of everyone on board.
The man’s body broke out in a cold sweat almost instantly.
He was the highest-ranked person present, so imagining a beast more powerful than him sent a wave of terror through him.
There were ten people on the aircraft, eight of whom were top-tier A-level operatives with rich combat experience. Yet now, the creature attacking them seemed far more fearsome.
One man, whose spiritual power was only at level B, felt his legs go weak. “W-what is this thing? Could it be Huo Ranchuan?”
“No, it’s not Huo Ranchuan!”
“But what about that bird cry? Was that a spiritual beast? I don’t recall any such bird being registered in the Empire’s records.”
“No,” the leader muttered, “there is one…”
But that’s impossible, he thought. Not only had that beast lost its human consciousness and become a rampaging monster, but it was also supposedly locked in a special cage at Huo Ranchuan’s residence. It couldn’t possibly be here!
*
In their panic, someone shouted, “Grab Teacher Bai tighter, or else—”
A loud crash echoed as the black birds once again slammed into the aircraft.
The birds’ interference disrupted their signals, making it impossible to navigate, and their vision was obscured.
Desperately, they fired their guns, shooting into the bird swarm, and hurled bombs, trying to incinerate the black birds. But soon, they heard a loud crunching sound from above. Looking up, they saw the black birds part, revealing a golden eagle a hundred times their size. The massive creature’s talons gripped the aircraft tightly.
“The golden eagle! Damn, it’s that golden eagle!”
“What’s it doing here? Is it trying to save Teacher Bai?”
One of the men, holding Bai Nuosi tightly, trembled. “Captain, what should we do?”
Would threatening the beast with a knife make it back off?
But wasn’t this beast supposed to be mad?
The team, feeling the oppressive spiritual pressure of the eagle, grew fearful. Some of them had fought against Chen Min before and nearly had their legs broken.
“If it’s come to us, I won’t show any mercy!”
Harboring a grudge against the eagle, the man pulled out a high-powered laser cannon and fired frantically at it.
The blasts struck the eagle, causing explosions as its golden feathers burned black.
But the eagle didn’t flinch. Its eyes remained fixed on the unconscious Bai Nuosi inside the aircraft. The eyes gradually turned blood-red.
The eagle let out another piercing cry and then began shaking the aircraft violently, as if trying to shake out someone inside. It flew off, carrying the aircraft toward the distant mountains.
Huo Ranchuan, riding Teng Snake, followed closely, handling the aftermath along the way. His face was grim. “How the hell did it escape?”
That cage was supposed to be specially designed—what a joke!
He issued orders as he monitored the situation. “The bombs are falling!”
He immediately contacted the mech team and aerial patrols in the central district. The sudden appearance of the eagle and the attacks on it had caused bombs and poisonous gas to fall into the city below.
Teng Snake intercepted some of the bombs, but a few slipped through, igniting fires in parts of the city. Forced to respond, Huo Ranchuan had to descend.
By the time his lieutenant and the ground and air patrol units arrived, the golden eagle had already flown far away with the aircraft.
Huo Ranchuan continued the chase, eventually spotting the remains of the aircraft scattered in a mountain crevice, along with several bodies. But there was no sign of Bai Nuosi.
The out-of-control golden eagle had been thrashing the aircraft as if it were a toy, shaking it violently the entire way. Initially, the mercenaries inside managed to hold on, but the eagle’s overwhelming spiritual pressure eventually rendered them unable to stand.
After a while, the eagle seemed to remember something important. It landed on a massive tree and peered into the aircraft through a window.
Finding nothing satisfactory, it gave the aircraft another shake. Finally, it spotted what it was looking for. It carefully inserted its sharp beak through the open window, gently picking up the unconscious Bai Nuosi and resuming its flight.
The golden eagle circled the mountains for a long time, flying in loops, shaking the aircraft occasionally as if it were a toy. The open window, combined with the hole it had pecked in the side, caused people to fall out now and then—a horrifying sight.
The eagle seemed oblivious, unaware it still carried people inside its “toy.”
After flying for over an hour, it finally found a cave on a high cliff edge. It inspected the cave thoroughly, then, satisfied, landed at the entrance.
Lowering its head, it gently placed the unconscious Bai Nuosi on a large rock. It leaned down, studying his face closely.
Bai Nuosi lay there with his eyes shut. His face was bruised, and his legs showed signs of bruising too. His feet were bare, and his body was hidden under the oversized coat he wore, making it unclear if he had any other injuries.
The golden eagle observed him carefully, puzzled as to why he hadn’t woken up yet.
After a moment of silence, it seemed to recall that it was still holding onto the aircraft. It glanced at the vehicle, which still contained two men, lying unconscious and immobile. It wasn’t clear if they were dead or alive.
The eagle’s blood-red eyes fixated on the aircraft for a moment before casually tossing it off the cliff.
It then gently repositioned Bai Nuosi, ensuring he lay neatly on the rock.
What next?
The eagle stood there, expressionless, contemplating for a long time.
It seemed lost, as if uncertain of its next move.
Had it broken out of its cage because it sensed something?
And why did it feel the need to find a cave, a place to build a nest?
The golden eagle tilted its head, glanced at the sky, then lowered its gaze back to Bai Nuosi. It blinked, looking confused.
Meanwhile, Huo Ranchuan, hiding on a distant peak to avoid disturbing the nesting eagle, observed the scene through binoculars. Seeing Bai Nuosi lying there, his heart clenched. “Damn it, what the hell is it doing?”
Nesting~ cute~